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USS Saratoga
The USS Saratoga was the third of the Lexington-class battlecruisers commissioned, and the only one to survive WW2. Serving throughout the course of the war, she is the most decorated American Battlecruiser of all time. Commissioned in 1924, the Saratoga would be the only naval vessel to be commissioned with 8in guns serving as secondaries. Equipped with 6 dual turrets of Mk9 8in guns identical to those found later found on the New Orleans-class heavy cruiser, the Saratoga had a very heavy secondary armament. The USS Saratoga would serve predominantly as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet. In 1929, Saratoga would receive a semi minor refit that would replace her backet masts with Tripod masts. She would not receive another refit until 1943. During 1939-1942, she served in Atlantic fleet as flagship. After the loss of her battlecruiser sisters USS Constellation at Pearl Harbor, and USS Lexington off the Irish Isles by U-Boat, the "Sara Maru" would be put into drydock to receive an extensive refit. Receiving the standardized refit that would define other 1910-1920 era American ship designs, the Saratoga would have a heavily modernized Bridge, along with the replacement of her 8in turrets, with a set of 5in guns, along with a heavy refit adding half a dozen 40mm gun emplacements along her sides. The Saratoga would also receive thicker deck armoring, particularly around the barbettes, so much so that the additional armor formed a noticeable bulge on her decks. Interwar Service: Being the only ship in the Atlantic capable of keeping pace with the 33kn top speed of the Yorktown-class aircraft carriers until the commissioning of the USS Iowa, the USS Saratoga was an invaluable strategic asset in the Atlantic theater. Deployed along her sister USS Lexington in the Atlantic as apart of a speclater being joined by the world's first purpose built carrier USS Kearsarge. Being able to keep up, the 2 ships would gradually receive more and more AAA emplacements to serve as AAA screens for the carrier fleet. The USS Saratoga would be the first ship to receive tripod masts, to replace her lattice masts, receiving them in 1927. WW2 Service: In 1941, the 1943, she would serve in the action that would sink the german battle cruiser Prinz Eitel Ferdinand and heavy cruiser Von Der Tann. After the commissioning of the USS Montana in 1945, the USS Saratoga was deployed to the Mediterranean as flagship. Flagship of the Allied invasion force of the Allied landing in Salerno, the USS Saratoga would shell the beaches of Salerno. After the successful landing in Salerno, USS Saratoga would be returning to Alexandria to refuel when she would engage the Italian battlecruiser Marcius Agrippa, that would see the Agrippa be crippled until her ultimate demise in the Operation Crossroads tests. Returning to Norfolk to receive another extensive refit, the USS Saratoga received an even heavier AAA suite, along with having her 5in/38 guns removed, and replaced with 5in/57 guns becoming more common on US ships after the commissioning of the Montana-class, along with additional bofors, and 3in/70 AAA guns designed to counter the growing number of kamikaze attacks. Deployed back to the Pacific, she would serve as a carrier escort ship, serving with the main taskforce of the aircraft carrier USS Chasseur in June 1948. Post-War Service: Deemed War Surplus, USS Saratoga was decommissioned on February 3rd, 1951. While the state of California did attempt to preserve her as a museum ship, the funds fell through and the ship was designated to be used in the Operation Crossroads testing. While surviving the first atomic bombing of Able, during Baker, Saratoga would be located just 400m from blast location. The blast would lift her out of the water several feet, and when she came back down and struck the water, her keel broke and she quickly sank. Today, she is a popular diving attraction due to her close proximity to the surface (with her main deck being only 70ft from the surface). She is in remarkably good condition aswell, with minimal damage being made to her superstructure beyond her tripod masts collapsing from the sudden rise out of the water. Category:United States Navy Category:Battlecruiser